Illini opponent saving his best times for last

The video is there for everyone to see on the Internet. In the opening moments of the regular-season basketball finale last season against archrival Akron, Kent State guard Chris Singletary punched Akron’s Nate Linhart in the gut. Replays caught the blow from more than one angle. The referee...

By JOHN SUPINIE

Journal Star

By JOHN SUPINIE

Posted Mar. 22, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 22, 2010 at 9:03 PM

By JOHN SUPINIE

Posted Mar. 22, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 22, 2010 at 9:03 PM

CHAMPAIGN

The video is there for everyone to see on the Internet.

In the opening moments of the regular-season basketball finale last season against archrival Akron, Kent State guard Chris Singletary punched Akron’s Nate Linhart in the gut. Replays caught the blow from more than one angle. The referees tossed Singletary from the game in the latest of a string of incidents in the career of the former high school player at Chicago Farragut.

“It just so happened I’ve been through a lot of life experiences through college,’’ Singletary said. “I went through stuff that some people go through when they’re older. I’ve been through it already here. Kent State stuck by me.

“It gave me an opportunity to make this last year by best year, on and off the court.’’

Top-seeded Illinois plays host Monday to fourth-seeded Kent State in a second-round NIT game. Singletary will return to his home state in the final days of his college career as a first-team Mid-American Conference pick, a member of the MAC regular-season champion and on pace to graduate in May.

He knows there are some people who will just remember his troubled career.

Singletary was suspended for the season opener in each of his first three seasons at Kent State. He was charged in separate seasons for driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, but Kent State stuck by a contrite Singletary.

Maybe it was his good attitude. Maybe it was what he’d been through while growing up in a tough Chicago neighborhood.

“Guys wonder why I’m so into it,” Singletary said during postgame interviews on senior night. “Well, this is all I got. The first incident, they could have easily gave up on me, kicked me to the side. But they have seen something in me I probably didn’t even see in myself. Through it all, Kent State stuck with me.’’

Singletary struggled in dealing with loss. His grandmother, who helped raise him, died when he was 14. His best friend was sent to prison for life. A 16-year-old cousin was murdered. Through his mistakes at Kent State, Singletary displayed a desire to improve his life, and his good deeds went unnoticed outside the program.

“When Chris makes a mistake, he’s overly apologetic and wants to genuinely learn from it,’’ Kent State coach Geno Ford said. “In dealing with other kids who screw up and cop an attitude, those types of kids are usually written off.’’

Singletary still was 17 when he finished his freshman year, Ford said, and still was trying to mature as an adult.

“With his physical stature of being this big, tough, imposing guy, everyone expected him to have everything figured out,’’ Ford said. “He worked hard at it.’’

Page 2 of 2 - There’s the other side to Singletary. Two hours before a game this winter at Kent State, Singletary carried a man in a wheelchair up the steps when the handicap ramp wasn’t safe, Ford said.

“At the heart of it all, he’s an unbelievably high-character kid,’’ Ford said.

Illinois guard Demetri McCamey met Singletary during an open gym at Farragut. McCamey was an eighth-grader and Singletary was a Farragut freshman. Singletary already had that tough-guy personna on the court. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder uses strength more than guile.

“He’s a bulldog,’’ McCamey said. “He’ll try to bully you. He’s done that since high school. We’re going to have our hands full with Chris.’’

Singletary averages 12.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game, a big reason why Kent State won 14 of its last 16. Kent State lost 81-64 to Ohio in the MAC quarterfinals. Ohio won the MAC tournament title, then upset third-seeded Georgetown in the NCAA’s first round.

“We’ve had a good program for a long time,’’ Ford said. “We’re not in a position to take the NIT lightly. These are good teams in this field. If you don’t show up and play, you’ll get embarrassed.’’

Illinois knows a little about Singletary and the Golden Flashes. The Illini defeated Kent State 69-63 in overtime in the South Padre Invitational semifinals early last season. That close call will help the Illini prepare.

“Hopefully, it will make everyone realize it’s a tough team,’’ Illinois forward Bill Cole said. “We didn’t play them that long ago. They took us down to the wire. It’s another mid-major team that has a lot of talent and fight in them.’’